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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bore — to drill
  6. board — a committee
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. face — to point toward
  13. row — a line
  14. face — part of the head
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. board — to get on
  17. bore — to tire
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. bat — the animal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com